The light transmitting performance of an optical fiber is highly dependent upon the properties of the polymer coating that is applied to the fiber during manufacturing. Typically a dual-layer coating system is used where a soft primary coating is in contact with the glass fiber and a harder secondary coating surrounds the primary coating. The harder secondary coating protects the fiber from damage caused by external forces and allows the fiber to be handled without concern of breakage. The softer primary coating dissipates forces that reach the interior of the coated fiber and preventing them from being transferred to the fiber. The primary coating is especially important in dissipating stresses that arise when the fiber is bent. The influence of bending stresses on the fiber needs to be minimized because bending stresses create local perturbations in the refractive index profile of the glass fiber that act to attenuate the intensity of light guided by the fiber. By dissipating stresses, the primary coating minimizes bend-induced attenuation losses. There remains a need for economical low modulus coating materials that possess high tensile strength.